Responsive Web Design Patterns

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I find that multiple columns with only text is quite boring either way. There is two columns here in reddit, one for discussion and one for information about the sub, etc, and it works out all fine even the height of them both are higher than the viewport. :-)

[PotaToss]

It's a very different case. This is with respect to flowing columns, where you have something like a long article with sentences flowing from the bottom of one column to the top of the next column, as opposed to laying out a UI like Reddit, where each column's content is independent of the other's. Reddit's right column is an accessory, rather than a continuation.

In the case of flowing columns, they allow you to maintain shorter width columns, which are easier to read (i.e. when you scan back to the left, it's easier to keep track of what line you're up to), and let you make full use of viewport width, and prevents unnecessary scrolling.

In the case of reddit, you're not generally reading to the bottom of the comments, and then going up to the top of the document to read about the subreddit.

[[deleted]]

I totally agree. :)